Monthly Archives: April 2014

You are invited to Vesak Ceremony on May 4, 2014. 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Location: Union Square Park- South Plaza

Vesakha (Pali;Sanskrit: Vaisakha), Wesak or Vesak also known as Buddha Purnima is a holy day observed traditionally by Buddhists in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Sometimes informally called “Buddha’s Birthday”, it actually commemorates the birth, enlightenment (nirvana), and death (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha.

The exact date of Vesakha varies according to the various lunar calendars used in different traditions. In Theravada countries following the Buddhist calendar, it falls on a full moon Uposatha day, typically in the 5th or 6th lunar month. Vesakha Day in China and Korea is on the eighth of the fourth month in the lunar calendar. The date varies from year to year in the Western Gregorian calendar, but usually falls in April or May.